Mass Effect: Partnership
by Aephus Ezpho
Summary: MassEffect/Pokémon combined universe. Shepard and his Pokémon partner is assigned to take a mission aboard the Normandy. Little do they know that this is just the start of a nasty journey. Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect or Pokémon, except for OCs that I come up with!
1. Ch1: Aboard the Normandy

**Hey everyone! Today, I start another story, a crossover between Mass Effect and Pokémon, named Mass Effect: Partnership. At first, I thought about it as a combination of three universe Guyver/Halo/Mass Effect, but since Guyver isn't much known among the readers and we have hundreds of Mass Effect/Halo crossovers, I tried something different. And I liked the idea of Pokémon present in Mass Effect series. **

**For some, it may sound unmatchable, but I think it can work out on its way. Well, let's go on with it! I hope you like it.**

* * *

"Hey" - Normal Speech/Translated Speech (for Pokémon and Aliens)

_"Hey"_ - Comm Channel and Video Logs

* * *

**Chapter 1 – Aboard the Normandy**

"It's beautiful, isn't?" A man said as he admired the view he was witnessing.

"Yeah, this is actually the first time I get to see the Earth from this angle. It's memorable…" A shorter being next to him agreed.

"Well, this is actually the second time I see it from space, but it was long ago when I was still 18 years old."

"And a week later, we met each other eh?" The being chuckled in amusement.

"Yeah, you were pretty miserable that time." The being glared him frowning its eyes. However, it only made it chuckle as it knew it was so very true.

"Thanks for the cheer up, John. I really needed that back there."

"You're welcome." As he said that, he heard the intercom channel.

"_Commanders Shepard and Blade to the bridge. Commanders Shepard and Blade to the bridge."_

"Let's see what they want with us, shall we?" The man asked. The being nodded and followed him suit.

* * *

**(Character Introduction)**

The man you saw is called John Shepard. He was in born in April 11, 2154 and also in space. His childhood was spent on ships and stations as they transferred from posting to posting, never staying in one location for more than a few years. Following in his parent's footsteps which were Alliance military, he enlisted at the age of eighteen. Few years after he was graduated as a Systems Alliance military officer, he helped Elysium forces achieve victory after defending the planet against batarian slavers invasion which gave him lots of medals and honors from the Alliance fleet. Also, he was invited to join the N7 program which highest ranking military training course in Alliance systems. After much hard work, he was not only able to graduate, but also earn the Lieutenant Commander rank. Now, he's an executive officer aboard the SSV Normandy which is going to take her flight into missions.

The being next to Shepard is called Blade which a name given by Shepard himself. Blade is a Pokémon from Gallade specie. He has a white lower body that consists of bold rounded hips with strong legs; his torso is thin and colored in a balance between the blue of his upper body, and the white of his lower body; sharp orange hornlike protrusions stick out of the chest and back; his arms are shaped like tonfas, with extendable blades in the elbows; his head resembles a gladiator's helmet, with a white face and a grayish colored head crest; he also has spikes on the sides of his face. That all means he's the rare version of his specie. Blade has a dark past which led him to join the Pokémon Division at the Alliance Academy on Earth. However, due to this past of his, he wasn't able to trust any humans at the time, until Shepard found him. At first, Blade tried to avoid him because of his mistrust towards humans, but after some time, he began to see that Shepard only wanted to help him and that's how they became friends. Soon, he joined Shepard as his Pokémon partner in Human-Pokémon military training. Both graduated together in the Academy and they're fairly known as great team by their colleagues and friends. Blade was also with Shepard when they were battling against the batarian slavers on Elysium and he also made some remarkable feats in protecting the locals against the invaders. He also earned honors from the Alliance and joined the Pokémon Division of the N7 Program. There, he and Shepard participated several nasty training operations which required strong teamwork between human and Pokémon partners, but thanks to their friendship, they were able to overcome the challenges and graduate. Blade also earned the Lieutenant Pokémon Commander rank. Now, alongside Shepard, he was aboard the SSV Normandy which was taking her first mission outside the Sol System.

**(End Character Introduction)**

* * *

As they headed towards the Normandy's bridge, they were greeted along the crew. Most of them were humans, but it had its share of Pokémon aboard too. Both Shepard and Blade were much known to the crew and they were usually a subject in conversations among the members.

The Normandy was currently moving to the Charon mass relay which was located just next to Pluto. It was where the Normandy was going to make her first relay jump out of Sol System towards the Exodus System where a certain planet demanded her attention.

Reaching the bridge, they got sight of Nihlus Kryik, helmsman Jeff "Joker" Moreau and Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko and Razer which his Pokémon partner from Grovyle species. Nihlus was a turian that they met two days before they joined the Normandy crew and he was the Council Spectre assigned to oversee and report the Normandy progress to the Citadel Council. Neither Shepard nor Blade showed any disagreements at the time towards the turian, much to the latter surprise. Most of the humans and Pokémon despised the turians after the First Contact War where the turians attacked one of the Human-Pokémon colonies called Shanxi to prevent their fast space expansion. After so much bloodshed, the Council intervened and ended the conflict. After that, the Alliance joined the galactic community at the Citadel and earned an embassy there.

Shepard and Blade didn't really know Joker and Alenko very much since it has been only a day they had boarded the Normandy when she was still preparing to leave Earth. But Blade knew a bit of Razer. He was an acquaintance when Blade was still training at the Academy. He was still stunned to believe that Razer was going to be one of his crew colleagues in the future.

"1500 is good. Your captain will be pleased." Nihlus said as he left the bridge. "Shepard. Blade." He greeted when he saw the Commanders.

"I hate that guy." Joker said once Nihlus had walked away.

"Nihlus gave you a compliment… so you hate him." Alenko retorted.

"Remember to zip up your jump suit on the way out of the bathroom, that's good! I just jumped us half away across the galaxy and hit a target of the size of a pinhead, so that's incredible!" Joker shot back. "Besides, Spectres are trouble. I don't like having him onboard. Call me paranoid."

"You're paranoid!" Alenko replied without missing a beat. "The Council helped funding this project and they have the right to send someone to keep an eye on their investment."

"That's the official story and only a fool believes the official story." Joker pointed out.

Flight Lieutenant Jeff "Joker" Moreau was the Normandy's helmsman, and from what Shepard and Blade has seen, he's a fairly competent one. Most people just call him Joker, the reason being his rather snide sense of humor and snarky comments, at least that was what they thought.

Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko was the head of the Normandy's marine detail, meaning that he was the one every marine on the ship answered to. He was a biotic, an individual that had telekinetic powers due to exposure to element zero in the womb.

"Yeah, I think this mission has something more than what captain briefed us." Razer commented as he stood next to Kaidan with his back rested on the wall.

Staff Sergeant Razer was Kaidan's Pokémon partner. He is a Grovyle, a Pokémon with dinosaur-like features. His hands have two claws and its feet are more bird-like and its two tails now have a leafy appearance. His has three long leaves on its wrists and a large leaf on top of its head. His underside is red, with a belt-like green stripe on its belly. His service record isn't known that much, but if he was selected for this mission then it's safe to assume that he's a promising soldier.

"See? Even Razer agrees with me." Joker said proudly.

"Well, I also have to agree with Joker. I've been having this thought since Nihlus joined us onboard." Blade said. Truth be told, having a Spectre onboard for a merely shakedown mission was definitely odd.

"Commanders." Both Alenko and Razer stood up and made a salute.

"At ease, people." Shepard and Blade said unison.

"So, a Spectre presence here makes us doubt the real purpose of this mission huh?" Shepard remarked not even slightly surprised at his recent thoughts.

"Pretty much and Nihlus is kind of scary, sir." Joker said.

"Relax Joker. We met him 3 days ago and he's nice." Shepard commented.

"That's what he wants you to think." Joker nonchalantly said.

"_Joker! Status report."_ Captain Anderson ordered through intercom.

"Just cleared the mass relay, captain. Stealth systems engaged, everything looks solid." Joker reported

"_Good. Find the comm buoy and link us to the network. I want mission reports relayed back to the Alliance before we reach Eden Prime."_

"Aye aye, captain. Better brace yourself, sir. I think Nihlus is headed your way."

"_He's already here, lieutenant. Tell Commander Shepard and Commander Blade to meet me at the Debriefing Room."_ Anderson ordered.

Joker shook his head, cursing his stupidity.

"Haha you deserved this one." Razer chuckled in amusement.

"Yeah yeah, stupid me. You got the message, gentlemen?" Joker replied directing to Blade and Shepard.

"Yep, we're on our way." Shepard said as he and Blade left the bridge.

"I wonder why the captain is always angry when he talks to me." Joker said thoughtfully.

"I can't possibly imagine why." Kaidan said sarcastically.

As Shepard and Blade headed towards the Debriefing Room, they overheard Navigator Pressly speaking to Engineer Adams via intercom. It sounded to be a very serious matter.

"Pressly." Shepard greeted as he got closer.

The navigator saluted. "Oh Commander Shepard. Commander Blade. Congratulations, looks like we had a smooth run. You're heading down to see the captain?"

"Something troubling you, Pressly? Is it about Nihlus?" Blade asked concerned.

"Sorry, Commander Blade. Just having a chat with Adams down in engineering. Didn't mean any trouble, but you have to admit something's odd about this mission. The whole crew feels it."

"Do you think the Alliance brass is holding out on us?" Shepard inquired. Of course, he knew that himself, but he actually wanted to hear the crew talking about it. At least, it proved he wasn't going crazy.

"All we're supposed to do is test out the stealth systems, but why Captain Anderson is in charge? And there is Nihlus. Spectres are elite operatives, top covert agents. Why send us a Spectre and a turian at that on a shakedown run? This doesn't add up. " That was the human despise for turians trigging.

"That's what we have been thinking too. We'll see if we can get some answers with the captain." Shepard assured.

"Good luck at that, Commander Shepard and Commander Blade." Pressly saluted again and focused back on his work.

As they proceeded again, they noticed yet another chat that got their attention. Corporal Jenkins and Doctor Chakwas were not far from them, so they could make out what they were talking about. It seemed, not much to their surprise, that Jenkins was having the same doubts as most of the crew and was arguing with Chakwas preferred to believe in the official story.

"Corporal Jenkins. Doctor Chakwas." Shepard greeted.

"Commander Shepard. Commander Blade." They saluted in almost unison.

"Same doubts as the others, Jenkins?" Blade asked.

"Yeah, I can't stop thinking about this. What do you think, sirs? We won't stay on Eden Prime for too long, will we? I'm really itching for a real action."

Dr. Chakwas sighed in disbelief. "I sincerely hope you're kidding, corporal. Your real action usually ends with me patching crew members in the infirmary."

Doctor Karin Chakwas was the ship's head medical officer. Like her rank suggests, she is an expert on military medical area and was selected to be stationed on the Normandy. She also has a Pokémon partner, an Audino named Linda, who is her assistant. She is a bipedal, blue-eyed, pink-and-cream-colored Pokémon. The upper section of her face is pink, as are her floppy ears, exempting the tips and curled lower extensions which are cream-colored. The sides of her chest and arms are also pink, somewhat resembling a jacket, although the tips of her forelimbs are cream. her small tail is lumpy and white, similar to soft serve ice cream and rabbits.

"You need to calm down, Jenkins. A good soldier stays cool even under fire." Shepard said.

"Yeah, any uncontrolled action might risk your life." Blade added.

"Sorry, sirs. It's just that this waiting is killing me. I've never been on a mission like this before, now with a Spectre onboard."

"Just treat this like any other assignment you had and everything will work out." Shepard assured. Blade nodded in confirmation.

"Well, it's easy for you to say. You both proved yourselves on Elysium against those batarian bastards and everybody knows what you can do. This is my big chance! I need to show the brass what I can do!"

"You're young, corporal. And you have a long career ahead of you. Don't do something stupid to mess it up." Shepard said it blankly. He knew those types of soldiers all too well. Always ready for a firefight, thinking it's like a video game. Those were the first to fall if not severely injured.

"Don't worry, sir. I won't screw this up."

"You better not. Well, we gotta meet the captain. See you later." Shepard said as he and Blade went on their way.

"We'll need to keep an eye on him if he's going to this mission with us." Blade whispered to his partner. Shepard silently nodded, knowing full well the danger that the young corporal was walking into.

Finally, they arrived at the room and saw Nihlus there already waiting, but no Captain Anderson.

"Shepard. Blade. I was hoping you'd get here first. It will give a chance to talk." Nihlus greeted warmly.

"Talk? About what?" Shepard inquired.

"I'm interested in this world we're going to, Eden Prime." Nihlus resumed. "I heard it's quite beautiful."

"Yeah, it's like a paradise."

"Yes, a paradise. Serene, tranquil, safe. Eden Prime have become a symbol for your people, hasn't it? Proof that humanity and Pokémon can not only establish colonies across the galaxy, but also protect them. But how safe is it really?"

"You're not fooling me around with that talk, Nihlus. I know you're hiding something." Blade interrupted.

The turian looked at him and did the turian equivalent of a smile. "You're right, Blade. There's something I wish to tell you both, but this is a matter to be discussed when Captain Anderson arrives." Nihlus returned his gaze to Shepard. "Both of your people are still newcomers. The galaxy can be a dangerous place. Is the Alliance truly ready for what is to come?" Nihlus nonchalantly asked.

"Well, we can't really say that since we don't know what we are dealing with." Shepard replied.

It was then that Captain Anderson entered the room, overhearing some of their talk. "I think we should tell them what's really going on." He said directing to Nihlus.

"Actually gentlemen, this mission is far more than a simple shakedown run." Nihlus began.

Blade sighed. "Get on with it. There's no need for this suspense, you know."

"But this is a serious matter, Blade. We're making a covert pickup on Eden Prime. The research team there unearthed some kind of... beacon during the excavation. It's Prothean." Anderson explained.

Shepard and Blade's eyes widened in surprise. "Didn't the Protheans vanish 50,000 years ago?" Shepard asked incredulously.

"Correct, Commander. But their legacy still remains. The mass relays, the Citadel, our ship drives, it's all related to Prothean technology." Nihlus replied.

"And the last time humanity made a discovery like this, it jumped our technology forward two hundred years. But Eden Prime doesn't have the facilities to handle something like this. We need to bring the beacon back to the Citadel for proper study." Anderson stated.

"Obviously, this goes beyond human and Pokémon interests, Commander Shepard and Commander Blade. This discovery could affect every species in Council Space." Nihlus added again.

"Nice to see the Council is helping us on this one." Shepard replied jokingly.

"They send their regards." The turian joined. "And there is one other thing I'd like to point out. I'm not here only because of this mission." Nihlus paused. "I'm also here to evaluate you two."

"Evaluate us?" They asked in unison in total confusion.

"Yes. I heard about your feats while on Elysium and I must say, I'm truly impressed with the way you dealt with the invaders. With this, I think you two would make a fine addition to the Spectres."

"The Alliance has been pushing this for a long time." Anderson began. "Humanity wants a larger role in shaping interstellar policy. We want more say with the Citadel Council. The Spectres represent the Council's power and authority." Anderson paused again. "If they accept a human in their ranks, it shows how far the Alliance has come."

"I want to see both of your skills personally. Eden Prime will be the first of many missions together."

"Shepard, you will be in charge of the ground team. Secure the beacon and get it on the ship ASAP. Nihlus will accompany you to observe the mission."

Shepard turned to look at Blade who nodded. "We're ready, sir. Just give the word."

"We should be getting near Eden-"

_"Captain, we have a problem."_ Joker's voice came over the comm, effectively killing Anderson's would-be orders.

What is it, Joker?" Anderson asked, a little irked at being interrupted.

_"Transmission from Eden Prime, sir. You better see this."_ Joker answered, his tone indicating the utmost urgency.

"Bring it up on screen." Anderson ordered, already getting a bad feeling in his gut.

With that order the captain, everyone turned to the screen that flared to life. The camera was shaky as it portrayed a battle. Various marines and Pokémon could be seen fighting an unknown hostile force. The sounds of unfamiliar gunfire and more than a few explosions blasted out of the speakers. One of the marines, a woman, rushed up to the camera.

_"Get down!"_ she ordered followed by her Pokémon partner making covering moves, addressing the cameraman. The camera was pushed to the ground as the four got a good look of her firing another burst from her assault rifle. The camera shook around more, the cameraman apparently unable to get a good steady grip. They thought he could see a few fleeting glances of whatever was attacking the marines, but the camera never focused or settled long enough to get a good look. The camera suddenly turned to another marine, this one a man.

_"We are under attack!"_ he stated. _"Taking heavy casualties! I repeat: Heavy casualties! We can't-"_ his sentence was interrupted by an explosion that was a little too close for comfort. _"Need evac!"_ he resumed after the explosion subsided. _"They came out of nowhere! We need-"_ he was interrupted again, this time for good as blood splattered on the screen, likely from a fatal gunshot wound.

Then came a noise. A shrill noise that sounded like a cross between an eagle screeching and a ship taking off. All the marines stopped their fire as they saw something that made their jaws drop. The camera swiveled around and upwards at the thing they were staring at.

It looked like some kind of giant, mechanical squid in the sky, crimson lightning seeming to dance from its tentacles.

The cameraman couldn't hold it steady after that. More gunfire. More explosions. A brief shot of the marines running away. And then the transmission was lost to static.

"Everything cuts out after that." Joker reported. "No comm traffic at all. Just goes dead. There's nothing."

"Reverse and hold at 38.5." Anderson quickly ordered.

Joker did as he was told. The video reversed and froze on that robotic squid. Blade noticed Nihlus's mandibles flare out ever so slightly. He wasn't good at reading Turian expressions yet, but if he had to hazard a guess, he'd say Nihlus was expressing shock or awe. Whatever that thing was, it must've been huge, the way it almost took up the whole screen.

"Status report." Anderson barked, not taking his eyes off that image.

_"Seventeen minutes out, Captain. No other Alliance ships in the area."_ Joker reported.

"Take us in Joker. Fast and quiet." Anderson ordered. "This mission just got a lot more complicated."

"A small strike team can move quickly, without drawing attention. It would be our best chance to secure the beacon." Nihlus suggested.

Anderson nodded and turned to the two commanders. "You'll find all the firearms and armors you'll need on deck 2. Tell Alenko, Razer and Jenkins to gear up as well. Once the four of you are ready, meet Nihlus and I in the cargo hold. You're going in." Anderson instructed.

* * *

_"Engaging steal systems."_ Joker reported. _"Somebody's been doing some serious digging here, Captain."_

Shepard and Blade stood in the cargo hold on deck 3, ready for action. Shepard was using the N7 standard Onyx light-armor, and he had two weapons on him; a Mantis sniper rifle and a Predator pistol which were defaultly used by Alliance soldiers. That was best suited for his designation since I was a sniper expert and preferred tactical combat than frontline assault. As for Blade, he was using the specific N7 Onyx medium-armor modified specifically for his specie; no Pokémon-specific firearm since he was agile and relied on fast melee combat, with Shepard providing cover fire. Also, his psychic abilities make him an excellent ranger almost like his partner, in case of heavy enemy activity in the battle area.

Kaidan Alenko, Razer and Richard Jenkins stood on either side of the commanders; they were his ground team. The human marines had similar armaments as Shepard and Razer had his Alliance medium-armor specifically for his specie and just like Blade, he relied on his natural abilities while in combat.

"Your team's the muscle in this operation, Commander." Anderson began. "Go in heavy and head straight for the dig site."

"What about survivors, Captain?" Alenko asked.

"Helping survivors is a secondary objective." Anderson stated. "The beacon's your top priority!"

_"Approaching drop point-one."_ Joker reported as the cargo bay doors opened, wind howling and whistling as it did.

"Nihlus! You coming with us?" Jenkins called over the roar of the wind.

"I move faster on my own!" Nihlus called back, checking the sights on his assault rifle before moving in. He jumped out as the Normandy slowed.

"Blade, accompany Nihlus! Make sure he stays safe!" Shepard ordered loudly to his partner.

Blade nodded before he jumped out. "Roger that! Be careful out there, Shepard!"

"You too, buddy!"

"Should I go too?" Razer inquired to Kaidan, probably worried for his comrades.

"Permission for Razer to follow the others, Commander?" Kaidan asked.

"Granted! Watch those two backs for me!" Shepard shouted half-jokingly.

Noticing it, the Grovyle chuckled. "Roger! Count on me!" He said as he jumped out as well.

"Nihlus' team will scout out ahead." Anderson elaborated. "They'll feed you status reports throughout the mission. Otherwise, I want radio silence."

"Ready, sir." Shepard called out with a nod.

"The mission's yours now, Commander! Good luck!" Anderson called.

_"We are approaching drop point-two."_ Joker reported as Shepard, Alenko and Jenkins got into position. Chief unfolded his pistol, ready for action. Once the ground was close enough, he leapt out without hesitation, Jenkins and Alenko not far behind.

The moment Shepard hit the ground, his pistol was already trained, ready to shoot. Alenko and Jenkins followed suit, keeping their rifles drawn as the Normandy flew away to a more secluded position. "Ship perimeter secure, Commander." Kaidan reported.

"Keep your weapons drawn and your guard up." Shepard ordered.

"Yes sir!" Both marines complied.

_"Shepard? You read me? This is Nihlus."_ The Turian's voice came over the radio.

"Loud and clear." Shepard replied.

_"What's the meaning of this? I thought I had myself clear that I moved on my own!"_ Nihlus said trying to not bark to give away their element of surprise.

"Don't worry. They can do more than keep up with you. Besides, I wouldn't want a Spectre dying with me around." Shepard replied jokingly.

He heard Nihlus chuckle over the radio. _"If you say so, the help is appreciated. Anyway, this place got hit hard. Hostiles everywhere. Watch your backs."_ He said before clicking off the radio.

Shepard turned to the marines. "Let's move out, people!"

"Yes sir!"

* * *

**As you may have noticed, there is no general information about Pokémon in Mass Effect. I'm coming up with them right now, try to thinking about the best suited ideas for that kind of info. But rest assured that Chapter 2 is coming up with the first codex and it will proceed with one or two per chapter. If you have ideas that you'd like to share and help, it's appreciated.**

_**Warning: Pokéballs do not exist here!**_

**Please review!**


	2. Ch2: Eden Prime

Chapter 2 up guys! I appreciate your generous feedback you gave me so far and they made me finish this chapter at a faster pace. I really liked writing this one and I hope you like it too.

Happy Reading!

* * *

"Hey" - Normal Speech/Translated Speech

_"Hey" - Intercom speech/Radio chat_

**"Hey" - Pokémon Speech**

* * *

**Chapter 2 - Eden Prime**

Somewhere on Earth…

It was midnight. He watched the stars sparkle giving light to the cloudless dark sky above him.

**"Something bothering you, my Lord?"** A being walked closer concerned.

He didn't respond immediately. He was still pondering. **"Yes. I sense a disturbance coming from space."**

**"May I ask what is it?"** The being asked.

**"The beginning of a war. However, this one will be much greater than the ones we involved ourselves into. This one is capable of wiping out not only our kind and humanity, but also every other species in other places of the galaxy."** He said in his monotone voice.

**"Then shouldn't we prepare for it?"** The being suggested.

**"No. Our intervention is not needed for now. As we speak, two heroes and their companions are battling the forces of evil to save one of our planets."** He said as he watched the sky, more precisely the location of the imminent battle on one of the human-Pokémon colonies. The humanly-named world called Eden Prime.

* * *

Shepard ducked behind a boulder while Jenkins and Alenko took cover behind a fallen tree as the three made their way through the small forest. Even though Jenkins was a corporal and new to operations like this, he was born and raised on Eden Prime, and so knew the land better than the Commander or the biotic. Thus, the rookie became the squad's guide. They were making their way through a small field just on the edge of a forest, not far from the LZ. His Predator Pistol primed and ready to fire at anything at a moment's notice, Shepard poked his head out of cover. All he saw was more rocks and trees. No sign of any hostiles. But he could hear shots at other parts of the battlefield, some which he didn't recognize. He ducked his head back down as quickly as he poked it up and nodded at Alenko and Jenkins.

The two marines returned the commander's nod before heading off to take cover behind a tree. Shepard then leapt out of his own cover and rushed to behind a tree of his own. Alenko poked his head out of cover and immediately drew his rifle.

"The hell is that?" he yelped in a panic. Shepard immediately leapt out from cover to investigate what made the marine panic.

On what looked like a mini-parade float.

"Relax." Jenkins said with a chuckle. "Those are gas bags. Native animals. They're harmless."

True to Jenkins words, the odd alien creature gave no hint of aggression, and just floated onwards, paying no heed to the three humans. Shepard looked towards Kaidan, who seemed more than a little embarrassed by how a floating bladder scared the crap out of him. He just sighed and shook his head.

"A little on edge, aren't we?" The Commander asked half-jokingly as he patted the marine's shoulder. "Forgot to read about native life, didn't you?"

"Sorry, sir. Didn't think it was needed…" Kaidan sighed apologetically, cursing his brief stupidity.

After another minute or so of marching, Shepard suddenly crouched and held up a fist, the universal order to stop. The squad was at the top of a small hill, and before them laid a path strewn with boulders. They'd make good cover if the squad got attacked. He waved the team ahead. Jenkins wasted no time and rushed to one of the first boulders, Kaidan and Shepard right behind him, taking cover behind boulders a couple of behind the rookie. Jenkins shifted uncomfortably and took a quick peek over his cover. No sign of hostiles. He felt confident. He boldly leapt out of cover and made for the boulder on the other end of the path.

And then, first contact with the enemy.

A dozen aerial drones swooped in out of nowhere and immediately began opening fire on the rookie. It all happened so fast that it wasn't until Jenkins' shields were down to half power that he even realized he was being shot at. By the time he raised his rifle to return fire, the drones' firepower had already brought his shields down to nothing and didn't find much resistance in his armor. Jenkins went down.

Shepard immediately reacted upon seeing the drones and opened fire with his pistol, Kaidan following suite. Trying to stay cool, he shot some quick burst shots with almost perfect accuracy, downing some drones. Kaidan took out the rest. The firefight ended as suddenly as it began, and probably lasted a whole ten seconds. Shepard motioned Kaidan to help Jenkins while his pistol was overheated. He switched to the Mantis Sniper Rifle and covered the LT.

No enemies on immediate area. Shepard was relieved and cautiously came out of cover and walked over to where Kaidan was kneeling over Jenkins. Kaidan sighed as he closed the rookie's eyes.

"Enemy fire ripped right through his shields." Kaidan grimly reported as he stood up. "He never had a chance."

Shepard looked down on the young man. He swore. He made himself clear to Blade that he would keep an eye on the corporal. And yet, he couldn't save him. Although this was a normal thing at the battlefield, he felt himself responsible for his death.

"We should bury him here. Once the mission is done. He'd like that." Shepard said softly as he walked away, and then suddenly turned. "Don't lose your focus, lieutenant. I want you on high alert. I don't want anyone dying on my watch." Kaidan nodded in reply, grateful to hear his commander wasn't that kind of person who would emotionlessly walk away and leave his downed comrade to rot.

"Yes, sir." he replied.

* * *

A colorful array of curses known only in the Alliance military escaped the lips of the marine as she ran for her life. On her tail were a couple of aerial drones, their rapid fire cannons giving the soldier's feet more incentive to move faster. A shot slammed into her shields, taking another chunk out of it and eliciting another string of curse words from her mouth. It was then that she tripped. Now at this point, most soldiers would be dead.

But Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams wasn't like the most soldiers.

Immediately after falling to the ground, she rolled onto her back with her pistol primed and ready. She started shooting at the recon drones, which thankfully weren't all that sturdy as they quickly exploded into showers of sparks and scrap metal. Williams took a few breaths as she got up, hearing the familiar and all-too-welcome hum of her shields recharging. However, her adrenaline began kicking in again as she saw something further up the hill.

It was another Human, civilian judging from the clothes, being manhandled by two more of those..._things._He must've been injured, due to a pained expression, and was either too injured, too tired, or both to fight back as he was placed on top of a strange device.

Then, with a sickening sound of skin, flesh and bone being torn asunder, a long spike suddenly erupted from the device, impaling the hapless man right through the chest. Ashley was disgusted of the sight, but stopped her trail of thoughts when she realized that the two synthetic creatures had spotted her. Not having time to throw up, she ran off down the path and took cover behind a boulder, just as the creeps began shooting. She took out her assault rifle and got ready to return fire.

It was then that she heard a shot from behind her.

* * *

Shepard was behind a tree, taking cover while aiming with his sniper rifle. He had fired the first round as soon as he noticed the unidentified figures making suppressive fire against the pinned down marine. When it came to sniper rifles, Shepard was an expert head shooter. Over the years, he had developed an ability that produced some kind of time dilatation whenever he aimed through the scope, which made targets move in slow motion. There weren't many in the galaxy with this ability and that always made Shepard special.

He fired the second round 2 seconds later, ending the second figure with another head shot but also overheating his weapon. From what Shepard could see from the enemies, they weren't organic. They had what looked like flashlights for heads and had fleshy-looking muscles on their arms and legs, their torsos protected by a thick metal. Shepard had a good guess what they were.

He then turned around to see Kaidan jogging down the hill towards him and the marine coming out of cover.

"You alright, marine?" Kaidan asked concerned.

"Yes, thanks for the help." she replied panting from the amount of adrenaline in her veins.

"I'm Commander John Shepard and this is Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko of the Alliance." Shepard introduced himself. "What's your name, soldier?"

It was then that she regained her composure and saluted. "Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the 212, sir!"

"At ease." Shepard replied. "What's the situation?"

"Oh man, where do I begin?" Ashley began. "My unit and I were on perimeter patrol when the attack hit. We tried to send a distress signal but they cut off our communications. I've been fighting for my life ever since."

"Where's the rest of your unit?" Kaidan asked. Ashley dipped her head in grief.

"Dead. Only me and my partner remains alive." Ashley replied. It was then that Shepard looked over his shoulder back at the downed hostiles.

"Are they what I'm thinking they are?" Shepard asked.

"If you're thinking about the Geth, then you're right." Ashley answered.

"The Geth haven't left the Perseus Veil in over three hundred years. Why would they leave now?" Kaidan asked skeptically.

"They must be here for the beacon." Ashley replied.

"Where is it?" Shepard asked.

"The dig site is just over that rise. It might still be there." Ashley said as she pointed in the mentioned direction. "My partner is at the nearby camp, protecting the remaining survivors, if she's still alive."

"You're with us, Williams." Shepard said with a nod.

"Aye aye, sir. It's time for some payback." She said as she primed her M-8 Avenger Assault Rifle.

* * *

Shepard was crouched behind a boulder, Kaidan and Ashley not far behind, giving him cover. They peeked over and found enemies guarding the supposed dig site. He lined up his sniper rifle and aimed at his target.

With a low-pitched, reverberating sound, the rifle delivered its payload and the Geth trooper's head exploded in an array of sparks and metal as the body staggered back. The first shot was the cue of the other two. Kaidan demonstrated his biotics as his arm became enveloped in blue energy and he thrust his arm out forward at a Geth. As if by magic, the Geth was covered in a blue aura itself as it flew through the air, floating and making it an easy target to finish. Ashley peppered the shields of the Geth as Kaidan and Shepard picked them off with their biotics and sniper rifle respectively. The fight ended without the Geth even knowing what hit them.

They came out of cover and started walking towards the dig site...which did not have a beacon in it.

"The beacon was right here last I saw it." Ashley exclaimed, apparently to negate any possible attempts at accusation. "It must've been moved."

"By who? Our side or the Geth?" Kaidan asked.

"Don't know. Maybe we should check out the research camp, up the ridge." Ashley answered.

"Lead the way." Shepard said. Williams nodded and lead the commander and the biotic up the ridge. As Ashley led them, Shepard got another transmission.

_"Shepard, it's Nihlus. These are definitely Geth we're dealing with. Just finished checking out a camp. Lot of dead bodies."_ the Turian reported. _"What's your status?"_

"We think we might've found the beacon. Stand by." Shepard replied. Sure enough, Ashley successfully led Kaidan and him to the research camp. It was almost completely destroyed. Piles of debris in some corners, fires in the other corners, a few barely-intact sheds, but the most eye-catching feature by far was what looked like a collection of dried up bodies mounted on those spikes.

"Camp got hit hard." Ashley observed.

"It's a good place for an ambush. Keep your guard up." Kaidan said. No sooner did the words escape his mouth did it happen. With audible screeches, the spikes began to lower, making the spartan and two marines snap their guns in that direction. As the spikes fully lowered, the bodies ripped themselves off and faced Shepard and his group. They were humans. WERE humans. They were naked, their skin had turned a grayish-blue with cybernetics strewn out across their bodies. Their eyes glowed blue with menace as they opened their mouths, blue light and a menacing moan escaping from them.

"Oh God..." Kaidan breathed in horror.

"What did the Geth do to them?" Ashley asked. It was then that the creatures charged. Acting on reflex, the three opened fire on them. It didn't take long for them to fall to the ground.

"Secure the perimeter." Shepard ordered as he switched out for his pistol. He walked over to each creature and put one round each into their chests, just to be sure, as Ashley and Kaidan began working on a shed's locked door. Shepard took a moment to look at the...things.

"Why are the Geth doing this? What do they have to gain from it?" he asked himself.

"Commander! We got this shed open!" Kaidan called. "We've got a couple of civilians in here and we found Williams' partner with them."

Shepard walked over to the shed and joined Kaidan and Ash inside. It was a shed in the truest sense of the word. Nothing but a table and a shelf on the far wall. It was a man and a woman. The woman looked to be in her thirties and had very short red hair. The man looked to be in his forties and his wrinkled face in a terrified scowl and a balding head showed that he had seen better days.

"Hurry! Close the door! Before they come back!" the man said in harsh, panicked whispers. Shepard nodded and pressed a few buttons to close the door.

"Ashy!" A rodent-like Pokémon jumped onto Ashley hugging her tightly. It was small and tailed bipedal. It had long ears and feet, and stubby arms. It had two horizontal brown stripes on its back. Its long, thin tail has a broad, lightning bolt-shaped end. However, it didn't have fingers. It was yellow-brownish in color, with a white belly. Its arms are halfway brown just like its feet. The soles of its big feet are tan colored and its bifurcated ears are brown on the outsides and yellow on the insides, and end in a distinctive curl at their bottom-most point. The electric on its cheeks are yellow.

"Sparky! Thank goodness you are okay!" She hugged her Raichu back, which seemed to be female by the sound of its voice.

"I could say the same damn thing to you! Where the hell were you?"

"Maybe at Hell's doors. Thanks to them, I got out of there." Ash deadpanned pointing at Shepard and Kaidan, making her Pokémon chuckle. Soon, it looked to the two unfamiliar humans that were standing in front of them.

"Who are they?" It whispered.

"The one at the center is Commander Shepard, as you can guess, our new commanding officer. The one at the left is Lt. Kaidan Alenko, a biotic marine." She whispered back.

"You're safe now." Shepard said.

"Thank the maker for that." the woman sighed in relief. "This Pokémon have been protecting us until now, but I wasn't sure we would make it."

"Hey, you're Dr. Warren. The one in charge of the excavation." Ashley said. "What happened to the beacon?"

"We shipped it off to the spaceport earlier this morning." Dr. Warren began. She then gestured to the man beside her. "Manuel and I stayed behind to pack up the camp. When the attack came, the marines held them off long enough for us to hide." She paused and shook her head in sadness. "They gave their lives to save us."

"Nobody is saved." Manuel said as he shook his head. "The age of Humanity has ended. Soon, only ruin and corpses shall remain."

"Give us details on the attack." Kaidan said.

"I doubt we could tell you anything you don't already know. It all happened so fast. One second we were gathering up our equipment, the next we were hiding in the shed while the Geth swarmed over the camp." Warren answered.

"Agents of the destroyers." Manuel whimpered. "Bringers of darkness. Heralds of our extinction."

Shepard ignored him again. What caused this man to go insane? "What about the beacon?" Shepard asked. "Do you know why the Geth want it?"

"I don't." Warren confessed. "The beacon is some type of data module from a galaxy-wide communications network. Remarkably well-preserved. It could be the greatest scientific discovery in our lifetime. Miraculous new technologies, groundbreaking medical advances, it's easy to imagine that a lot of hostile factions would want to get their hands on it. Apparently, that includes the Geth."

"We have unearthed the heart of evil!" Manuel exclaimed. "Awakened the beast! Unleashed the darkness!"

"Okay, I've gotta ask. What's with him?" Shepard asked.

"Dr. Manuel has a brilliant mind, but he's always been a little bit...unstable. Genius and madness are two sides of the same coin."

"Is it madness to see the future?" Manuel asked.

"A little bit, yeah." Shepard deadpanned.

Manuel shook his head. "I see it all now. The destruction rushing towards us. There is no escape! No hope! I am not mad. I'm the only sane one left!"

"I gave him an extra dose of his meds after the attack." Warren said in a reassuring tone.

"Alright. You two stay here. Wait on rescue." Shepard said to the two scientists as he drew out his pistol. He then turned to Ashley and Kaidan. "We need to head for the spaceport. And nice to see you found your partner, Williams. Sparky, was it?"

"Yes, sir!" She gave the Pokémon equivalent of a salute. "Thanks for saving my partner, sir. If I might say…"

"No problem. Welcome to the team, by the way."

"Don't you understand?" Manuel resumed his rant. "The end times are upon us. The Darkness of Eternity is falling and nobody..." he pointed at the Commander. "Not even YOU can stop it!"

"What's stopping us?" Shepard said smirking as he pumped his pistol.

* * *

Nihlus Kryik's team carefully made his way through the spaceport. A few minutes ago, they had just received a report from Shepard. The Commander had learned from two surviving civilians that the beacon had been moved from the dig site to the spaceport before the attack hit. The Spectre and the Commander both agreed to link up with one another there. Nihlus was pleased. So far, he now knew that when Shepard set off to look for something, he left no stone unturned. A good trait for a Spectre to have.

Also, Shepard seemed to be a friendly guy, always charismatic, trying to ease the tension in combat. He probably would become a great diplomat if he had that idea in mind. This was also important for a Spectre.

He was also impressed with Blade. So far, the Pokémon demonstrated excellence in combat, finish Geth units with relative ease. He's very reliable and strong-willed and he seemed to share some of his human partner's traits. He knew a bit about the connection that humanity shared with the Pokémon, but he has never seen a link like Shepard had with his Pokémon. He had read their records prior this mission. Together, they were unstoppable and they proved that when they graduated on one of deadliest training courses in the entire galaxy. Also, there's the fact that they managed to protect Elysium against those batarian slavers. Nihlus had no doubts that those would be exceptional Spectres.

But, being a Spectre meant unlimited freedom in Citadel space. Freedom to choose how and in what nature you want to complete your missions. But that freedom of choice carries with it a great burden. Choices have consequences, consequences that you'll have to carry with you for the rest of your life. 'I was following orders' is not a valid excuse when you're a Spectre; the only orders you ever receive are from the Council, and those orders are usually just vague enough leave you with some free room for choices. More often than not, Spectres _give_the orders. Both the choices and the consequences of those choices are theirs, and theirs alone.

When you're a Spectre, you face many choices. Few of them are easy. Shepard will need to understand that if he is to become one.

It was then that Nihlus spotted someone, or something. He was snapped from his thoughts as he quickly took cover behind a crate. He checked his assault rifle. Armed and ready. He quickly moved out of cover, followed by his Pokémon company, and kept the rifle pointed at the target. The fact that it didn't look Geth was the only reason the target was still standing, but Nihlus was ready to pull the trigger at any moment. However, when he got a better look at the mysterious figure, his stance changed entirely.

"Saren?" he asked as he lowered his rifle and his mandibles splayed apart in surprise and confusion.

"Nihlus..." Saren said as he turned around to address the younger Turian. Saren was a rather unusual sight among Turians. For one thing, he lacked the facial tattoos that were typical for his species, indicating he swore no allegiances to any colonial heritage. He also had elongated 'horns' extending back from the sides of his skull, showing that he was part of a racial sub-group of Turians. Finally, there was his artificial left arm; he lost the real one on one of his most dangerous missions. Of course, when you're the Council's top Spectre, you go on a lot of dangerous missions.

"Who's this guy, Nihlus?" Blade asked curiously, but immediately not taking a liking to him.

"This is Saren Arterius, the best Spectre in Council Space and also my former mentor." The Turian introduced.

"I see you're working with human pets now eh?" Saren nonchalantly said. Blade and Razer gritted his teeth. Who was he to insult their kind?

"Blade, Razer, secure the perimeter. We need some privacy to talk." Nihlus ordered. Both looked at each other hesitantly, but decided to comply.

As they were outside of their ears range, Nihlus began. "This isn't your mission, Saren. What are you doing here?"

"The Council thought you could use some help on this one. In fact, I was looking for action like this, just like old times." Saren answered as he casually walked past Nihlus. The younger Spectre nodded in reply, the explanation being good enough for him. He had no reason to not believe Saren at his word. He trusted him.

"Situation looks bad. Geth are all over the place and it looks like they're dead-set on the beacon." Nihlus explained.

"Relax..." Saren said coolly. "I've got everything under control..."

"Nihlus, look out!"

* * *

*BANG!*

Shepard brought up a fist, a signal for the squad to halt, having heard a gunshot and a few explosions in the distance. They stayed there for a long time, not hearing anything else after that sole shot.

"Keep moving. Eyes and ears open." Shepard ordered after the silence. With a 'Yes sir' and an 'Aye aye', they resumed their path to the spaceport.

They continued on their way through the trees until they found themselves at the top of a hill overlooking the docks of the spaceport. However, the hill was also over looking about a dozen Geth troopers and about half a dozen more husks. However, they seemed to be in a firefight against a platoon covered behind crates there. He noticed Pokémon attacks. Blue arcs of energy and green blades slicing the fast incoming husks.

"It's Blade and co. Let's help them!" Shepard ordered taking cover behind a tree, already aiming his sniper rifle. Ash and Kaidan took cover behind a boulder in front of Shepard. Sparky moved in high speed towards the enemy, using her high-voltage attacks against the Geth.

As soon as they started firing, they gained attention from some of the enemy units. As the Geth concentrated on Shepard's team, the husks continued moving towards the pinned down team behind the crates. With enemy falling fast, the fight stopped soon. Kaidan peeked his head out of cover while Ashley and Shepard scanned the area from afar. "I think we're good, sir." Kaidan said.

"Guys? Are you alright?" Shepard shouted as he got out from cover and started walking towards the crates.

He heard Nihlus' voice. "Yeah, but it could be worse."

"What happened?" The Commander asked noticing that the turian's voice seemed a bit down.

Nihlus looked at Shepard. "As you can see, we arrived here first and we stopped someone already at the rendezvous point. From where we were, we could get a good visual, so we went ahead and prepared for a firefight. However, when we got closer, I've never expected to see him here."

"Who?" Shepard interrupted curiously.

"Spectre Saren Arterius. The best Spectre in Council Space and also, my former mentor."

The name didn't ring a bell to Shepard or any of the squad. However, from the look of Nihlus' face, he could tell this wasn't a good development.

"What happened then?" Kaidan asked.

Nihlus looked down to the floor.

* * *

_#Flashback#_

"_Nihlus, look out!" He heard Blade's voice from afar. He looked to him to ask what's going on and, along the way, he noticed Saren pointing a gun to his head. Before he looked at his former mentor, he expected a shot that never came._

"_PSYCHIC!"_

_Saren was caught off guard as he was pulled away by a strong blue aura force, making him fly meters away from his position. However, with his biotics, he was able to stabilize it and land safely. With his Spectre cover blown and outnumbered, he fled to another platform of the spaceport and called in for reinforcements to get rid of the pest. With Nihlus alive and alert, things would certainly begin to complicate._

_Nihlus looked to Blade again. His eyes were glowing blue _

_Nihus was still agape from everything that had just happened. His former mentor intended to kill him in cold blood and betrayed everything he taught. Loyalty to the Council, protect the weak and so on. But, one thing he sure knew. Saren isn't going to get out of this alive._

_#End Flashback#_

* * *

"And since then, we have been fighting for our lives against those creeps. Damn it, I still can't believe that Saren not only betrayed me and the Council, but also the Turian Hierarchy! He's going to pay for this!" He shot back kicking the nearest crate with brute force.

Even Shepard couldn't understand why a Turian of such high reputation in Council Space could turn his back to the Council and the Citadel like if they were nothing. What led him to do this? And does he plain achieve? Shepard wondered.

Nihlus looked to Blade. "Looks like I owe my life to you, Blade. Thanks for the heads up."

"Well, the one you should be thanking is John. If it wasn't for him, I'd not be here to assist you, nor would be Razer." Blade said truthfully. Actually, Shepard never had thought that a simple order of tagging along would mean the difference between life and death. At the time, he just had the thought that Nihlus could use the help in case heavy firefight. He was glad, though, he was able to prevent someone's death this time.

"Then, thanks both of you. I owe you two a drink." The turian said as he looked in the distance towards where Saren went. "So, shall we get moving? If I know Saren, he's got a big plan waiting for us."

* * *

The Prothean beacon was a tall, slim structure. It was about fifteen feet high and was only about half a foot across at the tip. Knowing its value, the humans of Eden Prime who dug it up were readying it for transport to the Citadel. That was, until Saren and his Geth showed up.

The Turian looked upon the beacon. He had been worried that it might have been damaged, but from the looks of it, it was still like new. Launching an attack on a colony this deep in Alliance space was a big gamble, but one that ultimately paid off. He turned to a Geth trooper standing next to him.

"Set the charges. Leave no evidence that we were here." Saren ordered. He looked up as he heard gunfire in the distance. He cursed his lack of knowledge about those pathetic Pokémon scums. With Nihlus still alive, he wouldn't be able to hide behind his Spectre status if there were witnesses. No matter. He always had a plan B in case things not worked the way he wanted. He walked up to the beacon. Then, he was lifted into the air as he had a vision.

Then, he landed on his feet with a thud. The vision was confusing, but it was only one piece of the puzzle. Once the other pieces fell into place, all would be made clear. He summoned his ship. He got what he came for, so now it was time to leave. He'd leave enough Geth behind to set the demolition charges and defend them from Nihlus and his team. The synthetics would be destroyed in the blast, but it was a necessary sacrifice. Besides, there were plenty more Geth where those came from. Once the bombs go off, the entire colony will be destroyed in a massive nuclear explosion, effectively erasing any evidence that there was even an attack to begin with.

Saren smiled. He knew that there wasn't a single person in the galaxy who could stop him now.

* * *

"Woohoo. Now that's what I'm talking about." Ashley cheered along with Sparky as they looked down the catwalk to see what was left of all the Geth defenders that tried to stop them. "We're really packing a punch now huh?"

"Yeah, they never stood a chance!" Sparky said.

Shepard looked to the colonial marine, smiling. "Glad to see you're optimistic."

"Well, we're more of realists rather than optimists, sir."

"If you say so. Alenko, how's progress?" The Commander asked.

"One more second." Kaidan replied as he typed away buttons at the tram's control panel. "Got it." he said two seconds later. With a jerk, the tram began moving.

"Don't let your guard down. I'm sure Saren placed a heavily fortified defense force to guard the beacon." Nihlus said as he looked up at the ledges that surrounded the tram. They were good defensive positions, and the Geth would use them if given the opportunity. Everyone had the same idea as they too looked around, ready for an attack.

That's when they heard it. A vile, screeching sound that made lesser beings cringe. It was the same sound Shepard, Blade and Nihlus heard in the _Normandy's_comm room. Everyone looked off in the direction of the sound just in time to see it taking off into the sky.

"That's the mothership!" Ashley shouted, her voice barely audible over the roar of the thing taking off. "Look at the size of that thing!"

"That thing's a ship?" Kaidan shouted back.

Shepard and Blade looked on in silence, recognizing the flying structure as the one he saw in the distress feed. Now it made sense as to how the Geth had gotten here. Shepard hadn't learned of any ships design like that one when he was at the Academy. And look that he was quite an expert when it came to technology. Before he found out about Saren, this was thought to be a simple battle. But after that, both knew that there was more going on here than just a simple battle.

"If that's their mothership, then the Geth might be withdrawing." Kaidan observed as the ship rocketed up out of sight, leaving Eden Prime's atmosphere.

"Maybe they already have the beacon and they're getting out of dodge." Blade suggested.

"Maybe, but this isn't like Saren. Now that he's a rogue Spectre, he wouldn't want anyone finding out about this attack, leaving no witnesses. Oh Spirits…" the Turian said as he realized why they were leaving.

"What?" Shepard asked.

"If my thoughts are right, Commander, we better reach our destination fast. We may not have much time." Nihlus said grimly. "He wants to blow this colony sky high!"

Shepard readied his sniper rifle. Saren just have made an extreme bold strategy. Was he really willing to sacrifice an entire colony just to cover his tracks? Or was this because he didn't want the beacon in any other hands? Still, it sounded disgusting. So far, it seemed to have a complete despise towards Humanity and his actions proved it. But, why was he doing this? Shepard couldn't stop thinking. It didn't matter though, because no matter the reason, the Geth had to be stopped.

The tram reached its destination with a click, and as the Commander expected, the three got one hell of a welcoming committee. Eight Geth Troopers, all lined up around the catwalk. Shepard, Ashley, Kaidan and Nihlus ducked behind crates, while Blade and the other Pokémon were a little more proactive. He ran past the crate and up the stairway leading to the catwalk. They finished them up with their own Pokémon attacks which quickly destroyed the units. Shepard and the others moved in, until noticed something…

"We got a bomb here!" Shepard shouted. Everyone looked over to where the bomb was. Just below them at the railing, a bomb the size of a fridge was already beeping and blinking red lights. "I got it!" He shouted again, rushing to it.

"Everyone, cover Shepard!" Nihlus ordered. At the meantime, Shepard began furiously pressing buttons on its control panel. The bomb gave a few beeps and he saw the lights fade away and the beeping stop. He gave everyone a thumb's up.

"Commander, I'm reading four other bombs! Check your radar!" Nihlus said panting between some words. True to his claim, Shepard checked his omni-tool radar device and found the other signatures. His eyes widened and began shouting orders.

"Alright people, we have four other bombs in the vicinity! Kaidan and Razer, you're up for bomb defusing. Blade and I will provide sniper support. Ashley, Sparky, think you can distract them?"

"Leave it to us! Come on, girl!"

"Time to kick some asses!" Sparky cheered and followed her partner.

"What about me?" Nihlus suddenly asked.

"You don't take orders from me, remember?" Shepard smirked.

"Right, right. Sometimes, I forget I'm a Spectre." Nihlus replied jokingly. "Is there room for another sniper?"

"The help is always welcome." Blade said as they lined up against the catwalk's walls..

Shepard turned to his partner. "Ready for some target practice, buddy?" He smiled, knowing full well that Blade loved those exercises.

"You bet! Whoever gets the largest score wins!" Blade said enthusiastically with his elbow blades glowing blue with psychic power. That was a common game between them, something they did to have fun while in training at the Academy.

Meanwhile, Kaidan had already defused the fourth bomb near Shepard's position. He was already moving to the next one a few meters away. However, despite they were covered by crates, the problem was the appearance of two big Geth units that protecting the fifth bomb. They were bright red in color and had what looked like two long rods sticking out of each shoulder, giving them an almost regal look. Firing suppressive shots in assault rifle mode, they were keeping the two humans and Pokémon pinned down, unable to proceed.

"_We could use some help here!"_ Ashley shouted using team radio.

"Hang on!" Shepard replied. "Everyone, line your shots towards the big ones!" He said to Blade and Nihlus. The two snipers aimed for their heads and fired. However, the enemy didn't even flinch from them as their shields took most of the damage. In doing so, they earned the biggies attention and returned fire towards their position with rockets. The three crouched back to cover before their head were blasted away.

"Those things have rockets?" Shepard gasped at the sudden attack.

"Not much of a surprise since they are the heavies." Nihlus commented.

Seeing Shepard's and Nihlus' shots weren't effective. Blade gathered more power into his blade arms. "My turn!" He jumped to the air and used another portion of his psychics to hover for a limited time. He took aim at the big Geth units, which were now focused on him.

"PSYCHO CUT!" He swung his blade ten times, each time releasing two arcs of blue psychic power with one directed at each unit.

The attack was so fast that it hadn't given time for the units to dodge. Consequently, they were hit by it. Much to his surprise, they were still standing like if nothing has happened.

Blade gasped. "Damn, those shields are tough."

"Now that their attentions are on us, tell Kaidan and the others to finish them." Nihlus suggested looking at Shepard.

"Kaidan, use this opportunity while they're at us to strike them down! Use a biotic throw to immobilize them and then, all of you give them hell!" Shepard ordered over the radio.

"_Aye aye, sir! Come on, guys!"_ Kaidan said as he and his team got out of cover and fired towards the red Geth units. Before they could be shot at, Kaidan used his biotics, just like ordered, and immobilized them, knocking them down.

"Let's finish them!" He shouted as he and Ashley switched to their shotguns and sprayed until they overheated. Their Pokémon partners followed with their own attacks, with Sparky using Thunderbolt to disable their circuitry and Razer using Razor Leafs to deal the final blow as he sliced them into pieces.

With the biggies dead, Kaidan moved in to deactivate the final bomb. With 30 seconds, he did it without much effort. As he made a thumb's up, the squad could at least rest easy with no worries of them blowing up along with the colony. And with no Geth in the immediate area, there was only one thing to do now.

"Let's go get that beacon." Shepard said as he moved towards its location.

* * *

"Is that it?" Kaidan asked as they approached the Prothean beacon.

"Yeah but...it wasn't glowing when they dug it up." Ashley replied. "Maybe the Geth did something to it?"

"_Normandy_, this is Commander Shepard." Shepard reported. "We've secured the beacon. Corporal Jenkins was killed in action. Two survivors. Over."

_"…Roger that…"_ Anderson said with a tone of sadness over the radio. _"What about Nihlus? Is he still standing?"_

"Alive and breathing, sir." Shepard smiled. "If it wasn't for Blade, he would be killed by Saren, sir."

_"Saren!?"_ Anderson asked. Shepard couldn't help but note the way Anderson said that word, as if he knew him. _"Are you sure that's his name?"_

"I can confirm that, Captain Anderson." Nihlus joined. "But, I'll leave it to when we get back to the ship."

_"Roger that. We'll lock onto your position and pick you up.__Normandy__out."_ Anderson stated before clicking off.

"Geez, a Spectre working with the Geth? This sounds problematic." Blade said sighed as he analyzed the beacon.

"Do you know what made him do that, Nihlus?" Shepard asked curiously.

"I seriously don't know. After I joined the Spectres, we got separated as we often took different missions. We still contact each other, but he never said what he was doing. At least, I know he couldn't join them without a reason and I intend to find out why." Nihlus explained

Then, they heard what sounded like a pulse, followed by a flash of green light. "WILLIAMS!" Kaidan yelled. They turned around and saw Ashley and Sparky being pulled towards the beacon by an unseen force. Acting on instinct, Shepard and Blade rushed to the marine and Pokémon, respectively, and grabbed their arms, and then threw them away.

However, now the force was pulling them in. Both Shepard and Blade tried to pull away with all their might. But their strength was not enough to completely break away. Suddenly, they found themselves floating in the air.

"Shepard!" Ashley yelled as she tried to leap after them.

"Blade!" Sparky doing the same.

"No!" Kaidan said, pulling Ashley back, with Razer doing the same with Sparky. "You'll just be pulled in too!"

They received the vision.

* * *

_There were strange-looking people, aliens suffering._

_Metal being welded to flesh._

_Minds being tormented._

_Blood splattering on the ground._

_Screeching of the damned._

_And eyes that spoke eons of malice._

* * *

The beacon exploded, sending the both commanders flying. They lost consciousness as the others rushed to their sides.

* * *

_Codex Entry 01: Pokémon_

_Pokémon are strange creatures which appeared on Earth a long time ago, presumably the same time as humanity began walking its first steps. For countless years, uncountable Pokémon species have developed on the planet and became friends with humanity, and that relationship is clearly evident until nowadays. Much isn't known about their past, but human society and Pokémon alike believed it all began when the God Pokémon Arceus was originated from an egg in middle of space chaos after the Big Bang. It's believed that he created Time, with the creation of Dialga, and Space, with the creation of Palkia, in his early age and made Earth, a planet where his kind would live peacefully. In addition, he made the humans to perform a bond with his kind, so they could grow together._

_And until today, that bond seems to have not shattered. Wherever there are humans, there are certainly Pokémon with them. They do jobs the same as humans, they mostly eat the same food as humans, they live the same way as humans do and there are even reports of inter-species couples. But, those inter-species cannot produce offspring due to unmatchable codes of genes. According to human databases, there are 649(1) Pokémon species in total. And to speak with their human friends, they used the universal translator which humans also use to enable communications with the spacefaring races._

_Just as the humans have their ambassadors at the Citadel, the Pokémon also have theirs. The few selected are minor Legendaries representing the Pokémon High Order which is formed by the strongest Legendaries, including Arceus himself._

* * *

**_(1) - This number will change as I have intention of adding the newly 6th generation Pokémon into the story. I'm just waiting for the confirmed total amount of new Pokémon that will be present in the new series._**

**So, how did it go? Please post your opinions (Constructive Criticism is accepted), so I can improve according to your likes.**

**Until next chapter!**


	3. Ch3: Citadel Part 1

**Chapter 3 is up! Enjoy!**

* * *

"Hey" - Normal/Translated Speech

_"Hey"_ - Radio Channels

**"Hey"** - Pokémon Speech

* * *

Chapter 3 - Citadel Part 1

The ship prowled through space like a shark intent on finding its next meal. It was a very large ship, easily larger than any other ship in the galaxy, and with armaments that can bring an entire fleet to its knees. After a rather successful mission on Eden Prime, the ship made its way back to the Terminus Systems, where it would be safe from the Council's vision. Though it was a fearsome warship, it was still only one ship. Everything is starting to fall into place now, but they still must make their last few moves carefully. With Nihlus still alive, it'd a matter of time until the Council got news about his treachery, and, possible, he would receive the mission to arrest the rogue turian.

Saren Arterius sat in his quarters. It was a fairly small room, having a chair in the middle, a vid screen before him, a lamp on one side and a table on the other. He sat with his eyes closed in the chair, going over the vision again and again in his mind, trying to make sense of it. He knew that he would not be able to understand much from that vision alone, but until the other pieces of the puzzle were gathered, this was all he could do.

An Asari, a matriarch to be precise entered the room. She cleared her throat to announce her presence. Saren opened his eyes. He gave no gestures to do so, but somehow, the Asari just knew that she had been given permission to speak.

"We identified the ship that touched down on Eden Prime. The _Normandy_. A Human Alliance vessel." she paused. "It was under the command of Captain David Anderson. They managed to save the colony."

Saren grunted at the name. Anderson. A particularly loathsome little Human that had an uncanny habit of turning up to muck up his plans. He may have failed every time of course, but now that his actions were seen, this would even complicate things even more. But, even if they had saved the colony, it was little more than a minor setback. He and the synthetics will now be a confirmed enemy of the citadel races, but even that wasn't a terrible detriment to the plan. Most of their operations were based in the Terminus Systems anyway, where the council is unwilling to send a fleet for fear of sparking a galaxy-wide war. However, it was then that Saren realized that there was still one loose end still on that colony that could very well pose a problem.

"The beacon." Saren replied. "What happened to it?"

"It was destroyed...But I'm afraid one of the humans and his Pokémon partner may have used it before so." the Asari reluctantly replied.

A low growl rumbled out of Saren's throat as he dug his talons into the arm-rests. He snarled as he stood up and threw his table and all of its contents across the room, roaring in fury. This was more than a minor setback. This was an outright problem.

"They must be eliminated." he growled. "The Council will likely broadcast the news of my treachery to Turian space and I'm sure the ones who used the beacon will be there as testimonies. Once we know who they are, we'll deal with them. Now leave." Saren ordered. The Asari nodded obediently and left the room. Saren settled back down into his chair. He contemplated this new turn of events. The human and the Pokémon likely received the same vision he did, meaning they had in their minds a single clue. Granted, it was a worthless clue that will likely serve them no purpose without the other clues. But Saren couldn't take that chance. There was simply too much at stake. Once the human's and Pokémon's identity are confirmed, he'll hire some mercs to deal with them. That should settle the matter quick enough.

* * *

Shepard's head ached as the world around him came into focus. He clutched his head and squinted his eyes, not appreciating the level of brightness currently in the room. He slowly got up and, once his vision cleared up, noted his surroundings.

He quickly noted that he was in the back room of the _Normandy's_med-bay. It was a small room, much like to a storage room, with a computer on the side of the room opposite him, and a small stack of crates was next to him, likely full of medical supplies. He was lying on the only bed in the room, and was wearing his crew uniform.

"Nice to be in the meds once in a while, isn't it?"

He looked to the source of the voice. It was his partner Blade. He was sitting at the bed next to his, looking straight at the Commander. He chuckled as he never seized to stop with his random comments.

"Yeah, the fate of all injured soldiers." Shepard paused. "Anyway, what happened?"

"To be honest, I don't know." Blade replied. "I couldn't see what was happening to us. Only images."

"Images? I got that too." Shepard remarked.

"As far as I could figure, it's something like a vision. I saw slaughter, destruction, metal melding flesh meat. Damn, not even in my wildest dreams would compare to this." The Gallade said. "You got that too?"

Shepard sighed. "Yeah, though I don't have a single idea of what it means." He got out of the bed and stood up, with a little help from Blade. "Anyway, let's check in with Dr. Chakwas. She'd be happy to know we're alright."

Blade nodded and the two walked out of the room. In the main med-bay was Dr. Chakwas and, surprisingly, Ashley Williams and Sparky. They were talking with each other, but immediately stopped when the Commanders entered the room.

"Ah, good. You're up." Chakwas said in relief. "How are you both feeling?"

"We're good." They answered in perfect unison.

"A minor headache, but nothing serious." Shepard added. Blade nodded too, he seemed to have the same symptoms. "Anyway, what happened to us?"

"You were pulled into the Prothean beacon. It...did something to you." Chakwas explained.

"It was our fault. We shouldn't have gotten close to it." Ashley said as she shook her head. Sparky nodded, not daring to look at her commanding officers.

"Don't blame yourselves, guys." Blade said, much to the two soldiers' surprise. "It's not like you planned on having us wind up here." He turned to Chakwas. "Why did the beacon do that?"

"We don't know, and unfortunately, it looks like we'll never find out. It exploded." Chakwas explained.

"Did it do anything to us? I mean, physically?" Shepard asked.

"No. On that point, you're fine." Chakwas said. "But I detected some unusual brain activity, abnormal beta waves. I also noticed an increase in your rapid eye movement, signs typically associated with intense dreaming."

It was then that the door out of the med-bay opened. Captain Anderson walked in with his usual commanding gait, followed by Nihlus. "How's our XOs, Doctor?" he asked.

"Just woke up. No worse for wear, far as I can tell anyway." Chakwas reported.

"Good to hear." Anderson replied with a nod. "However, we need to talk. In private."

"Of course, Captain." Chakwas said before leaving. Ashley followed her. But the marine stopped at the door and looked over her shoulder, giving the Commanders one last look before walking away out of the room, leaving them alone with the captain and the Spectre.

"Sounds like that beacon hit you both hard. Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, we can handle it." Shepard replied in a dismissive tone. "So what did you need to speak to us about?"

"It's about Saren, Commanders. I've sent a mission report to the Council, explaining what happened on Eden Prime. They are not quite happy about it." Nihlus began. "Mainly because the beacon was destroyed in the process, but they're also concerned about Saren."

"And I know why. He's one of the best Spectres the Council has. A living legend, kind of like you. But if he's working with the Geth, then he's gone rogue. A rogue Spectre's trouble. Saren's dangerous." Anderson paused. "And he hates humans and Pokémon."

That spiked the attention of both commanders.

"Hates us, huh?" They asked as they crossed their arms. Saren just got in the top rank of their shit-list.

"He thinks Humans, and Pokémon alike, are growing too fast, taking over the galaxy. A lot of aliens think that." Anderson elaborated. "But this was an act of war. Saren has allied himself with the Geth. I don't know how, I don't know why. I only know it had something to do with that beacon." he paused.

"Although that's true, I think your species have the potential for something greater." Nihlus commented.

"You both were there just before the beacon self-destructed. Did you see anything? Any clue that might tell us what Saren was after?" Anderson continued.

They paused, wondering if they should tell them about the vision. But if it came from the beacon, it could be important.

"Sir, this might sound crazy, but we've been seeing visions ever since we left Eden Prime." Shepard began.

"What kind of vision?" Anderson pressed.

"Metal melding flesh, people being killed…" Blade shrugged. "To be honest sir, we don't have a clue about what it means."

"I see." Anderson said. "We need to report this to the council."

"But they won't believe in something like this, captain." Nihlus said.

"Still, we must try." Anderson pressed.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Shepard asked.

"We go to the Citadel and have an audience with Council to show our findings." Anderson explained. "As his actions were seen by you, Saren must be on the run already. And this is Council matters, so I wouldn't expect them to send us after him."

"Actually, I might disagree with you, Captain." Nihlus interrupted. "In my mission report, I also spoke highly well of Commander Shepard and Commander Blade. They intend you to invite you both to the Spectres once we arrive." He said.

"Wow, thanks Nihlus. It's an honor for us." Blade said bowing his head respectfully. Shepard nodded also thankfully.

"You two deserved it, but I must say this again. The path of a Spectre is an difficult one. Be prepared." The Turian said.

"How much time until we hit the Citadel, sir?" Shepard asked.

"We're almost there as a matter of fact. We should be docking in about twenty minutes. Do whatever you need to do to get ready and we'll head for the Alliance Embassy once we disembark." Anderson saluted Shepard and Blade, a salute which the commanders crisply returned. "Dismissed." he said before leaving the medical bay with Nihlus following suit.

"Geez, we get to meet the Council ourselves." Blade commented.

"Yeah, I wonder how this will turn out. Well, at least we know " Shepard replied before leaving the med-bay.

They took a look around the mess hall of the Normandy. All the servicemen on board turned to them and gave him nods of acknowledgement as he made his way through the mess hall. It was then that a familiar face went up to them.

"Uh...hi Shepard." Ashley Williams greeted rather meekly.

"Blade." Sparky also greeted but casually like if nothing happened.

"Williams, Sparky." They regarded them.

"What are you doing on the _Normandy_?" Shepard asked.

"Captain Anderson transferred us here. After what went down on Eden Prime, he assigned us as the _Normandy_ new marines." Ashley suddenly blurted out.

"Glad to be part of the team." Sparky cheered.

"You two okay? I know it wasn't for you to lose your whole squad." Blade asked concerned.

"Yeah, I guess. It comes from being a soldier, you know. Me and Ashy had seen things like that before. Though, it's not really pleasant." The Raichu said.

"We were quite nervous when Anderson asked us to join the crew, but they welcomed us with open arms. It was… nice." Ashley rambled

"You'll fit well on the Normandy." Shepard said. "Just give it some time, okay?" Both marines nodded in response and with that, they followed the commanders as they made their way towards the bridge.

"Good to see you two are alright." Pressly said as they entered the CIC. "Losing Jenkins was hard enough on the crew."

Shepard sighed at that. Jenkins was a good kid overall. He would likely be missed. They walked towards the cockpit of the ship, wanting to get a better look at this Citadel. On the way, he passed Kaidan who gave him a greeting nod, a nod which they returned. They eventually arrived at the cockpit where Joker was as usual.

"You both are just in time. Time to see the Alliance tax-payer's dollars at work." Joker quipped as they approached the mass relay. With another blue flash, space changed around them. The differences were much more dramatic this time, as they suddenly found themselves in what seemed to be a large purple cloud, a nebula most likely. It was then that they saw it. The Citadel.

At the center of it was a ring, from which five 'arms' spread out. They could see distinct lines of light covering the surface of each arm. Those lights indicated that on the surface of each arm was a whole city. As they drew closer to the Citadel, they noticed a truly massive ship. It was pink in color, with what looked like an opening of some sort in front, with fin-like protrusions coming out the top, bottom, and both sides of the craft.

"Look at the size of that ship..." Ashley commented as she approached the cockpit to get a better look at it.

"The _Destiny Ascension_." Kaidan pointed out as he too came up to the cockpit. "The flagship of the Citadel Fleet."

"Well, size isn't everything." Joker snipped.

"Why so touchy, Joker?" Ashley teasingly asked as she regarded the pilot.

"Just sayin' you need firepower too." Joker replied.

"Are you kidding?" Ashley said as she turned to the pilot. "Look at that monster! Its main gun can rip through the barriers of any ship in the Alliance fleet!"

"Good thing it's on our side, then." Kaidan said.

Joker pressed button on the holographic control panel. "Citadel control, this is_SSV Normandy_ requesting permission to land." he casually requested.

"Stand by for clearance, _Normandy_." replied a flanging voice, likely a Turian. "Clearance granted. You may begin your approach. Transferring you to an Alliance operator."

"Roger, Citadel control. _Normandy_ out." Joker replied. The ship continued its course, making right for the ringed center of the citadel.

"_Normandy_, this is Alliance Tower." came a Human voice. "Please proceed to Dock 422." The _Normandy_ turned slightly towards one of the arms. As the _Normandy_ drew closer, the distinct shapes of buildings became more and more evident. Eventually, they were flying through a city, and then finally made birth in a docking bay, magnetic clamps sticking to the ship, keeping it in place during the crew's stay.

Both commanders turned around and headed for deck two, specifically their locker. Shepard had heard that, even with C-Sec there, firefights still could break out at any moment, so they would feel safe if they carried their own military equipment.

* * *

_Citadel_

With Ashley Williams and Kaidan Alenko flanking them, Shepard and Blade looked over the balcony to the presidium below. It was definitely a beautiful place to live, with its stark white walls and floors, a beautiful lake, and vast varieties of trees planted all over the place. He looked up to the ceiling, which looked like a sunny, cloud-filled sky. They knew that it was just an illusion. Shepard could tell from the way the ceiling seemed to curve upwards in either direction, indicating that they were indeed currently inside a ring. He looked back down to the fountains and shimmering bridges below, and took in the activity.

Although Pokémon were mostly encountered in human space, the Citadel was one of the exceptions. The Presidium itself was flowing with Pokémon activity. At first, C-Sec was wary about bringing Pokémon up to the Citadel, with arguments that they could cause great mayhems. However in the end, they agreed that only Pokémon supervised by a human would be allowed entry, with exception of the Legendaries. Speaking of which, Shepard and Blade met with the Pokémon ambassadors when they made their way to Alliance embassy. They were of the Eon species, Latios and Latias. For those who don't know, their bodies are highly aerodynamic , shaped much like the old-fashioned jet planes, which allow them to fly at high speeds. They can enfold their bodies with a glass-like down to refract light which can render them invisible or alter their appearance. They are highly intelligent and can understand human speech, although that can't be said the same to alien species, which makes them use the universal translators in case they are communicating with the other space-faring races. Also, telepathy can only be used when dealing with humans or Pokémon since it doesn't add the benefits of the universal translators.

And of course, they are different when it comes to gender characteristics. Latios is larger than his female counterpart and weights heavier. His lower body is blue instead of red and features the same triangle-shaped marking that Latias has, only red. The rest of Latios's body is gray instead of white. Latios has flatter ears and narrower eyes than Latias. The gray spot in the middle of Latios's blue face is shaped like a tear-drop. In Latias case, the upper-half of Latias's body is white. She has triangle-shaped ears and a red face with a white pentagon in the middle.

"THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!" the sound of an angry ambassador snapped Shepard from his thoughts and made him turn to Ambassador Donnel Udina who, for the past few minutes, had been having a conversation with the council.

"The council would step in if the Geth attacked a Turian colony!" the ambassador further fumed. Ambassador Udina was a mulatto-skinned man with grey hair and a wrinkled face, which was currently contorted in rage.

"The Turians don't found colonies on the borders of the Terminus Systems. Ambassador." the image of the Salarian councilor said, obviously not appreciating Udina's attitude.

"The Councilor's words are true, Udina. Since the Citadel doesn't involve itself with the Traverse, this is a situation where our species should be responsible for the colonies' protection." Latios said politely, only to receive a death glare from the human ambassador. Shepard could sense that those two were at each other's throat before.

And yet, there they were. The powers that be. The three most powerful individuals in Citadel space, which was basically half of the known galaxy. The Turians, the Asari, and the Salarians. On the left, Councilor Sparatus, the Turian, stood wearing a formal-looking suit. His face markings were similar to those of Nihlus, probably indicating that they are from the same colonies. He stood rigid and at attention with his hands behind his back. Councilor Tevos, the Asari, stood in the middle. She wore a long dress and had face markings of her own. She stood with poise and dignity; a politician in every sense of the word. Finally, Councilor Valern, the Salarian, stood to the right. He wore a long robe with a hood over his head and, again, had facial markings. Shepard could tell that he was on edge, all his senses on high-alert, his mind and instincts moving a mile a minute.

"For once ambassador, listen to your colleague." Tevos said, regarding Udina. Although he considered that a taunt, he decided to ignore it.

"What about Saren? You can't just ignore a rogue spectre! I demand action!" Udina carried on.

"You _don't_get to make demands of the council, ambassador." Sparatus said in a harsh tone that intended to remind Udina where his position was on the political food chain.

"We trust the mission report from Spectre Nihlus is accurate. And by that, we made the decision to revoke Saren's Spectre status." Tevos said in a tone that was assuring, yet undoubtedly firm. "Commander Shepard and Commander Blade, we have heard many great words about you, not only from Nihlus but from all species that witnessed the news about the Skyllian Blitz. We're impressed with your abilities to the point that we invite you two to join the Spectres. You would make a fine addition into our rankings."

Councilor Valern nodded in approval. "If you're interested, come to Citadel Tower. We'll be waiting there." And with that, the three holograms faded away. Udina stopped his fuming, at least he would give good news to Alliance government.

"Congratulations you two, though I'd like to say in better circumstances." Udina said a bit more calm.

"I knew you would succeed!" Latias, being the playful one, hugged them. In fact, Latios and Latias are siblings. They were handpicked by one of the High Order to serve as their ambassadors at the Citadel as they said in their conversation with Shepard and Blade. But to Blade, Latias seemed to not have the qualifications for being one. He noticed how she disregarded her job when she told it was boring and so on. But, if she was selected for it then it must mean that she hold on her own.

"I see you brought your squad." Udina said breaking his line of thoughts.

"Thanks and they also witnessed Saren's actions on Eden Prime." Shepard reassured. "Just in case you had any questions."

"I have the mission reports. I assume they're accurate?" Udina asked.

"They are." Anderson said with a nod. He smiled. With Shepard in the Spectres, he was sure that Saren would have his days counted.

"They weren't happy about it." Udina said. "Saren's their top agent and he had access to almost everything in the galaxy. They fear he might attack them."

"He needs to dealt with before that happens." Blade said determined. The whole situation makes his blood boil with anticipation. And, well, Saren was at the top of his shit-list after all.

"My thoughts exactly, Commander Blade." Latios replied. "Lives are at stake here, so we better handle this matter with precision and swiftness. Commanders, I suggest you go to Citadel Tower and meet with the Council. We still don't have leads to where Saren went or what he intends."

They nodded in response and turned his squad. "You guys coming?"

"Of course, wouldn't miss this chance for nothing." Ashley cheered for the others who nodded.

And so, they left the embassy and headed for Citadel Tower.

* * *

After what seemed like an eternity, the elevator doors opened, revealing the Council Chambers. It was a pretty well-decorated place. The walls were a grayish color and the brown floors were polished so finely the spartan could see himself in it. There was also a few gardens and fountains strewn about the hall, with trees that looked like cherry blossoms from Earth. And finally, Shepard noted that there were stairs. Lots of stairs.

"You sure do have to climb a lot of stairs to see the council." Kaidan noted, apparently having also made the observation. "Think it's supposed to represent their importance?"

"Probably." Ashley replied. "But I'm willing to bet that these stairs aren't just for show. These would make good defensive positions if this place ever got attacked."

"You have to bring military business everywhere you go, don't you?" Sparky smirked at her joke, trying to cool a bit the atmosphere.

"Well, just stating the truth." She shrugged.

As they ascended the stairs, they took in all the sounds of the chambers. The sound of rushing water from the fountains, the sound of Starlys and Pidgeys who were apparently allowed to nest in the trees, but most of all the whispers. Specifically, whispers about him coming from the other people inside the chambers that had undoubtedly taken notice of them. The chambers were sparsely populated, mostly by the three council races; Turians, Asari and Salarians. All politicians, most likely. He heard a lot of varying opinions. They thought they were being discrete, but Blade could easily hear them with his keen sense of hearing. Some seemed impressed with him and Shepard, citing them as evidence that Humanity and Pokémon are indeed two races to be respected. Others were scared, saying that they were proof of how dangerous their races could be. Then, they heard something that seemed to drown out the whispers.

They continued their ascent up to the main council chamber. And soon, they saw the three councilors in flesh and bone.

"Welcome Commander Shepard and Commander Blade." Tevos greeted as the soon-to-be Spectres took the stand. It was a long, thin ramp that hovered over a glass floor, underneath it was another garden. "Well, shall we begin?"

"Sure, Councilors. But before that if I may ask, do you have any leads that might help on tracking Saren down?" Shepard asked politely.

"The only lead we have so far is that he is probably hiding at the Terminus Systems. We can't risk sending a fleet to capture him; otherwise we would be risking an all-out war." Valern replied.

"And we also don't know how he was able to ally himself with the Geth and the methods he used to achieve it. That would explain why he had been so distant to Council matters since few years ago." Sparatus added.

"We share our sympathies for the ones who lost their lives in the attack." Councilor Tevos said softly. "We know it isn't much, but it's the only thing we can do about it."

"But there is one thing we can do to prevent this again." Valern clarified. He looked over to the other councilors and they nodded catching what the salarian councilor had to say.

"Commander Shepard, Commander Blade. Step forward." she said. They took a few long steps forward toward the end of the stand, and stood rigid and at attention.

They then took a look around. In the balconies above, spectators flocked to see what was going on. Turians, Asari, Salarians, Humans, Pokémon, virtually every species that had an embassy on the Citadel, gathered to see what was about to take place.

"It is the decision of the Council that you be granted all the powers and privileges of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch of the Citadel." Tevos said.

"Spectres are not trained, but chosen." Valern said next. "Individuals forged in the fire of service and battle; those whose actions elevate them above the rank and file."

"Spectres are an ideal. A symbol." Tevos resumed. "The embodiment of courage, determination and self-reliance. They are the right hand of the Council; instruments of our will."

"Spectres bear a great burden." Sparatus said. "They are protectors of galactic peace, both our first and last line of defense. The safety of the galaxy is theirs to uphold."

"With you, Shepard, as the first Human Spectre and you, Blade, as the first Pokémon Spectre, I'm sure this is a great accomplishment for you and your entire species." Tevos told the Spartan them.

They nodded at Tevos. They knew that making spectre was the easy part. The hard part will be doing a good job at it. They then heard applauses

They looked around. Every one of the spectators was applauding the new Spectre. They saw Turians and Salarians nod their approval. The Humans and the Pokémon were, unsurprisingly, the most enthusiastic, as they clapped and cheered for one of their own for making it this far.

They waved his thanks to the crowd, even the aliens. They turned to the Council...who were now his new bosses, he realized. "We're ready for our first mission, Councilors."

"We're sending you into the Attican Traverse after Former-Spectre Saren Arterius." Valern replied in a formal tone as the applause died down. "He's a fugitive from justice, so you are authorized to use any means necessary to apprehend, or failing that, eliminate him."

"So far, we do not have any relevant data as to where exactly Saren is, so we suggest looking for any leads here at the Citadel. Also, Spectre Nihlus will be joining you at his own will. I'm sure his help will be valuable." Sparatus said. That took them by surprise. Nihlus joining them in their hunt for Saren? Shepard made a mental note to ask him why.

"This meeting of the Council is adjourned." Tevos stated. With that, the councilors walked away as Shepard and Blade rejoined Ashley, Kaidan, Razer and Sparky who had been looking on from the sidelines. The crowd had disbanded, the exciting part being over, and went back to their business.

"Congratulations, Shepard." Kaidan said as he shook the commander's hand. Then, Ashley did same.

Their partners did the same with Blade, though Sparky carried away a bit and joyously hugged him, sending electricity waves all over his body.

Sparky immediately stopped what she was doing. She looked apologetically to her commanding officer. "Sorry, sir. Forgot to discharge…"

Blade waved it off. "No harm done, but be careful next time." The electricity wasn't that deadly anyway.

"So, what should we do now?" Razer asked curiously.

"We should head back to the embassy and see if the guys found something." Sparky suggested.

"Well, if we are going there, expect to be tackled by Latias you two." Razer coolly grinned.

Blade and Shepard looked at each other and chuckled, reminding of the young playful Latias. "Yeah, we're in for it now."

* * *

As the squad entered the Alliance embassy, they caught sight of Udina, Anderson and the Eon twins still discussing the matters of Saren's betrayal, though Nihlus couldn't be seen anywhere. And Shepard's plans to ask the turian about his joining on the Normandy failed for the time being.

"Oh Shepard, Blade. Congratulations! We watched the whole thing!" Latias blurted out when she set her sights on them, though she didn't tackle them like they expected.

"The High Order sends their regards too. They also are eager to meet you when you are ready to talk to them. I'm sure they have many things to discuss with you." Latios added.

Blade gasped. He knew that only few Pokémon had been invited to the Hall of Origins, let alone ventured to it. All he knew is that once you are inside it, you won't be the same individual when you first went there. "We're honored, Latios." Blade bowed respectfully.

"So, have you found anything that can help us on tracking Saren down?" Shepard asked.

"We know contacts that might help us out." Latios replied.

"I suggested we talk to Harkin, that C-Sec officer we met earlier." Udina spoke up. "He might know someone who has the information we need."

"I also suggest speaking with Barla Von." Captain Anderson said. "He's an agent of the Shadow Broker, so he knows information. But, I don't know if Harkin would be of help. The guy is an asshole. He was the first human who got a job within C-Sec and blew it because of alcohol."

"Still, it's a start. We should hear from him regardless." Blade countered. Anderson was about argue back but he couldn't deny that they only had those to investigate.

"You and your squad should split up to cover more ground." Latios said. "I'll contact some friends to see if they can help too."

"Thanks. But, we were not trained to be detective, you know." Shepard said.

"All soldiers must adapt to wars that aren't in his agenda. So adapt." Udina said. "I need to take care of some business. Captain, meet me in my office later." And with that, Udina walked away.

"Let's move, guys!" Shepard said after giving Captain Anderson a quick salute. The squad then made their way to the elevator. After descending several stairs, they entered the elevator and began their descent down to the presidium.

"We should split up here. Me and Shepard will go to this Barla Von and you guys can deal with Harkin." Kaidan asked.

"Yes sir." Kaidan said. "The captain said Barla Von is in the financial district of the Presidium. Look for 'Barla Banking.'"

Blade and Shepard nodded as the elevator arrived on the presidium. He walked towards the relay monument while Ashley and Kaidan went to summoning a rapid transit aircar.

"Waaait!"

Both commanders turned and saw Latias flying towards them. "Wait up!" She yelled desperately.

"Latias? What are you doing here?" Blade was the first to ask.

"Well, brother told me to accompany to you in your investigation. He said I should help you with directions." She said rather shyly. That didn't go unnoticed for them. They knew something was off.

"Your brother, telling you to accompany us in the middle of the galactic hub where anything can happen? I don't buy it." Blade said crossing his arms.

"But-" She tried to argue.

"Latias, even if we have C-Sec around, we aren't out of danger, especially now that we're tracking Saren. That's why we are still carrying our firearms." Shepard said softly trying to convince the red Eon.

"But I don't want to go back to the Embassy anymore. It's so boring that I can go insane at any moment there. I wasn't trained for something like that. Please, let me go with you! I promise I won't be a burden!" She pleaded.

Although he was wary, he knew all too well that an ambassador's work can be pretty damn annoying sometimes. While those people just sat and talk about political interests, soldiers like him were risking their lives to protect those who they cherished back at their homes. That's what made him join the military. And for that matter, he sympathized with Latias.

"Alright, alright. But you at least told your brother where you were going?" Shepard gave in.

"What? You can't be serious!" Blade gasped.

"Yes, I told him that I would fly around the Presidium to enjoy myself a little. I do it often, so it was easy to persuade him." She assured.

"So we are letting her join us?" Blade asked still incredulous.

"Why not? You heard her before, she was trained before she came to a place like this. She knows the risks she's taking and still she wants to do it. I say we should." Shepard shrugged.

"But-" Blade tried to argue, but he knew there was no way out of it. "Oh damn it, okay missy! But you're not staying even three meters away from me, is that clear?" Blade almost yelled a bit furious.

"Okay, okay. You don't have to be that angry, you know. Besides, now I have a really strong Pokémon Spectre to protect me." She winked at Blade teasingly.

Blade turned his face to hide his blush, leaving the Human Spectre and the red Eon laughing. He walked to the elevator and waited furiously for the others to join in.

* * *

_Barla Banking_

The sign was basically a television screen built into the wall that only displayed those two words. No fancy animations to grab the attention of passers-by, just a simple sign to let the potential client know they were in the right place. Once the group was inside, they took note of their surroundings.

The room was surprisingly empty. Nothing in it but a few chairs and a desk with another one of those holographic computers that seemed to be quite popular in this century. Standing behind the desk was a Volus.

"Ah, a group from the Earth-Clan." the Volus breathed. "And two very famous ones at that." He paused for another breath. "You're the ones they call Commander Shepard and Commander Blade."

"News got around pretty fast I take." Blade commented a bit surprised.

"Oh yes." the alien replied before taking another breath. "My job requires me to keep well-informed. When someone as important as you boards the station, I take notice. That, and the way your image has been all over the media, it's rather hard not to recognize you." He breathed again before continuing. "Though I didn't think Spectres would ever have need of my services."

"We're not here to start a bank account." Shepard said. "I need information on Saren Arterius."

"The rogue Spectre?" Barla asked. "I'm just a financier. Why would I hav-"

"Don't be cute." Blade interrupted. "We know you work for the Shadow Broker."

The Shadow Broker. Shepard heard this name many times before. The Shadow Broker was an information broker, a merchant of secrets, and easily the best in the galaxy. He sold government secrets to other governments in exchange for other secrets. Shepard didn't like that, instantly becoming worried that humanity had another enemy to worry about, but the interesting thing about the Shadow Broker was the way that, despite all the trading of secrets that could topple entire empires, the balance of galactic power was still somehow maintained, as if all the secrets evened out. At the end of the day, no one really has an advantage over everyone else. But still, that was a weird way to keep the galaxy at balance.

"You're very blunt, Blade." Barla noted. "But you're right. I do work for the Shadow Broker." he breathed again before continuing. "As for Saren, the Broker is very upset with him right now. Saren had been a trusted business associate of the Shadow Broker for many years...*breathe*...up until Saren betrayed them."

"What for?" Blade asked. "Why did Saren betray him?"

"I don't know the details." Barla said. "All I know is, the Shadow Broker hired a mercenary to take care of the problem."

Shepard crossed his arms over his chest. "That's it? That's all you know?"

"I'm afraid so." Barla replied.

Blade shook his head in disapproval. "You're an agent working for the Shadow Broker. Don't tell me you don't know any more than that."

"I'm afraid I don't, Blade." Barla confessed. "In fact, calling me an agent is generous. I help people in positions of power move money without leaving a trail. Any useful information I find, I pass along to the Broker. That's all that I do for him." he breathed. "The more you know, the more dangerous the game becomes. I don't like danger. I prefer to leave that to people such as you."

Blade grimaced. Apparently, Barla Von was able to pick up that they were less than satisfied with his services.

"If you want to know more, I suggest talking to the mercenary the Broker hired." Barla began typing away on his computer to bring up the necessary information. "The mercenary is a Krogan by the name of Urdnot Wrex. He's currently being held by C-sec at the C-Sec Academy, being questioned, most likely. He might know more than I do."

A Krogan mercenary. It wasn't the best lead, but it was the only lead they had. Plus, it's likely that this merc was the one that was hired to kill Saren, so at least they would have a common goal.

"Thanks for the intel." Shepard said. Without waiting for a 'you're welcome', they turned around and left.

Latias who was watching the whole exchange couldn't stop thinking. "Why would someone betray the Shadow Broker? It's much the same as signing a death sentence." She thought aloud.

"I don't know, but I'm not really surprised by that. Saren was crazy enough to side with the Geth and let alone attack a human colony, so I expect more crazy ordeals are to come I guess." Shepard commented truthfully. "Plus, if Saren is that good as we hear, he's able to keep his tracks clean."

"There is an elevator where we can head to the Wards Access corridor. From there, we can take another elevator down to C-Sec. Really, what's with those slow elevators? I was hoping things would be faster with those advanced races." Latias asked.

Blade chuckled at that. "Oh it's not just you who is complaining, you know. I bet there are a lot of people wanting to get their hands on the designer."

"What's with the mood change, Blade?" She noticed.

"Nothing keeps Blade down. He may be down at one moment, but the next moment he has his big goofy smile." Shepard chuckled.

"I never had a goofy smile." Blade snapped.

"Sure, and that time when you were talking with that Gardevoir back at the Academy. I'm not going to forget something priceless." Shepard

"Hey! That was different. I was trying to be nice."

"Sure, you were almost like 'forcing yourself to be nice' with that goofy smile." Shepard laughed as he remembered the whole scene.

In the sidelines, Latias watched the two best friends jokingly argue with each other. She hoped something like that happened to her. Sure, she has done it with her brother many times, but that wasn't the same between two friends. And with Latios being overprotective, she hadn't many friends to hang around. Unless she…

"Hey Latias, come on!

They crossed to the other side of the presidium and headed towards the elevator to the Wards Access.

* * *

"Here we are." Ashley began. "Millions of light-years away from Earth in a hub of galactic culture, living the way our ancestors dreamed of living hundreds of years ago and what happens? We walk into a bar with several men drooling over women shaking their asses for money." she said as she took in the sights and sounds of Chora's Den. "Man, how I hate this!"

"Can't agree more, Ashy." Sparky said as she eyed even some female Pokémon dancing for the patrons.

The aircar ride from the presidium to here was around ten minutes, landing in an alley just a few yards away from the bar. It was like any other strip-club in the galaxy. The air was choked with the scent of booze and cigarette smoke. Half-naked Asari, Gardevoirs and Lopunnys danced on top of the bar itself, entertaining the males of various species. Around the edges of the circle-shaped room were nooks in which high-profile customers enjoyed more...private performances. Standing watch over it all like a vigilant sentry was a Krogan bouncer with a crest as black as coal. He stood by a door that presumably led to the bar's back areas. Staff only.

The team made their way through the bar. According to Captain Anderson, Harkin was probably somewhere in here getting drunk. He was suspended from C-sec last month for drinking on the job. This was nothing new. Twenty years ago, Harkin was the first Human ever to make it into C-sec, and has been a disgrace to the species ever since. Roughing up suspects, taking bribes, drug and alcohol abuse, he was as dirty as a dirty cop could get. Kaidan and Ashley would rather not associate themselves with such scum, but they didn't have much choice. Shepard and Blade were already investigating Barla Von, so the team would be covering more ground this way.

"There he is." Kaidan said, pointing to a balding man sitting in the corner, having a drink. "Okay Williams, better let me do all the talking."

"Fine by me." Ashley retorted. "I don't wanna give this loser the time of day."

With that, the group walked over to Harkin. Harkin looked up from his drink and scowled at them, less than happy to see Alliance marines coming to bother him. "Harkin, right?" Kaidan asked. "We're looking for Garrus Vakarian, a C-sec officer. You know where he is?"

With that, Harkin's scowl quickly turned into a devilish grin. "Garrus, huh? You must be part of Captain Anderson's crew."

"Yeah. What of it?" Ashley butted in, much to Kaidan's chagrin.

"Not much." Harkin said with a shrug. "By the way, did the captain ever let you in on his big secret, sweet-cheeks?"

"Sweet-cheeks?" Ashley exclaimed. She and Sparky moved in closer, but Kaidan and Razer put an arm up in front of them, blocking them. They shook their head at them. Kaidan turned back to the drunk.

"What secret?" the biotic asked.

"Captain Anderson? Former spectre. Bet ya didn't know that." he snickered at his own joke. It was the kind of snicker that made you wanna punch whoever was doing the snickering in the face. "It was all very hush-hush. The first Human ever given that honor. And then he blew it. Screwed up his mission so bad they kicked him out. He blames Saren. Said the Turian set him up."

"Bullshit." Ashley spat. "If it's so hush-hush, how do _you_ know?"

"Sugar-tits, I spent twenty years working cases here on the Citadel. People on this station love to talk. And hey; secrets are like herpes. If you got 'em, you might as well spread 'em around." he snickered again at his own lewd joke.

"Okay, I'll fry you up right about now!" Sparky taunted as she started to charge her electricity.

Ashley gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. Like Sparky, she quickly losing control of her temper and turned to Kaidan, giving him a look that all but begged him to allow her to beat the ever-loving crap out of this pig. Kaidan's face remained stern and stoic though. All he did was turn his gaze to Harkin.

"Do you know where Garrus is, or not?" he asked.

"Garrus was sniffing around Dr. Michel's office." Harkin replied, unable to get that shit-eating grin off his face. "She runs the med clinic on the other side of the wards. Last I heard, he was thinking of going back there."

With that, Kaidan nodded and headed out, Ashley in tow.

"Yeah, go. Let me drink in peace."

"You okay Williams?" Kaidan asked. Razer also shared the same concern for Sparky.

"I'm fine." Ashley replied. "We got what we came for, let's get out of here. I think I'm getting a buzz from the fumes alone."

"Kaidan, next time something like this happens I'll shut the mouth of whomever screws with us and stop me when it comes." Razer looked sternly at his partner.

Ash marched out of Chora's Den, the anger on her face still very much apparent. Kaidan just followed her, praying that nothing else would happen to further sour her mood.

* * *

_Codex Entry 02: Pokémon High Order_

_The High Order is the group formed by the Pokémon Legendaries that are unique in each and every continent of Earth and also beloved by criminal organizations such as the now deceased Team Rocket which they believed that with their power they could control the world. Now that their presence is widely known around the galaxy, most races see them with fear as they heard from the humans that their leader, Arceus, had shaped the Universe and the Earth at his own wish. Aside from Pokémon, no other races have ever made direct contact with them without a wide galaxy psychic link. They believe that maintaining their presence hidden will make them safe against any abusers that try to do harm on them. The other known members are The Legendary Birds, Mew, The Legendary Beasts, The Tower Duo, Celebi, The Weather Trio, Jirachi, The Lake Trio, The Creation Trio, The Lunar Duo, Shaymin, Reshiram, Zekrom, The Musketeers, Victini, Meloetta and The Gene Duo(1). And it's also heard that other Legendaries work as non-members as they prefer to be in the wilds, such as Mewtwo, Heatran, Deoxys, The Golem Trio, Regigigas and The Kami Trio._

* * *

_Codex Entry 03: Pokémon in the Military_

_Ever since humans took their first steps into planet colonization, the Pokémon became an ever growing part of their journey towards space. Knowing they would contact alien life someday, their entry in the Human Military increased exponentially. With this, the whole concept of the human training had to be revised to change into joint-species training. From that moment forward, every human with a Pokémon partner had to train together or "die trying" as the superiors said at the time. Also, human and Pokémon shared the same military ranks to keep simple, however, if there are occasions when the human and the Pokémon share the same rank, the first one is still command to respect the old tradition of Pokémon partnership. Of course if there are occasions when the Pokémon has the higher rank than the human partner, then the Pokémon is in command._

_The training involves lots of team work, lessons of respect and the old fashioned Pokémon battle where the "Trainers" can develop their bond with their Pokémon. Pokémon are also taught to absorb the human military strategy to give them some independence when battling and in a firefight. And that harsh training made them also strong candidates to aid C-Sec in guaranteeing the peace inside the Citadel._

* * *

_**Note:**_

_(1) – This might change if there is another confirmed Legendary in that group._

**Please review! (Constructive Criticism is accepted, don't hesitate to post yours!)**


End file.
